Tulsi Gabbard. File
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) chose former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence under his administration. Mr. Trump stated, “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength., as per news agency AP.

The Republican president-elect Mr. Trump went on to add that Ms. Gabbard, a veteran and one-time Democratic White House contender, would “bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community.” Here’s a closer look at Tulsi Gabbard

Who is Tulsi Gabbard- First Hindu elected to Congress?

Born in the U.S. territory of American Samoa, Ms. Gabbard (43) was raised in Hawaii and spent a year of her childhood in the Philippines. She was first elected as a 21-year-old to Hawaii’s House of Representatives but had to leave after one term when her National Guard unit deployed to Iraq. Ms. Gabbard was later elected to Congress to represent Hawaii. Later, she became the first Hindu and American Samoan in Congress, representing Hawaii, and was sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text. She was also the first American Samoan elected to Congress.

Serving four terms, Ms. Gabbard spoke out against her party’s leadership and gained popularity by supporting Senator Bernie Sanders ’ in his 2016 Democratic presidential primary run.

Left Democratic party and served in Army National Guard

A four-term Congresswoman, 2020 presidential candidate and NYT bestselling author, Ms. Gabbard is a veteran with three deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Africa.

Ms. Gabbard is a veteran who served for more than two decades but doesn’t have the typical intelligence experience of past officeholders. She left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed Mr. Trump earlier this year, becoming popular among his supporters.

Ms. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider, compared to her predecessor. She received a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III,” the Hawaii National Guard said.

Unlike past directors, she hasn’t held any senior government roles. She served for two years on the House Homeland Security Committee.

She is married to cinematographer Abraham Williams.

Trump’s endorsement

Ms. Gabbard switched sides from the Democrats and backed Mr. Trump earlier this year, helping him during his debate preparations against Kamala Harris, and had been expecting a reward for lining up behind the former President. Ms. Gabbard’s endorsement of Mr. Trump this year significantly boosted her standing among his supporters.

Frequently appearing with Robert F Kennedy Jr, Ms. Gabbard exemplified Mr. Trump’s claimed cross-party appeal. The former Hawaii congresswoman also publicly announced her Republican Party membership at a North Carolina rally in October, describing the Democratic Party as “completely unrecognizable”.

(With AP inputs)